CARSON, CA - Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, Defender Tyrone Marshall, forward Carlos Ruiz, and the team as a whole were named recipients of the 2004 Los Angeles Galaxy team awards. The awards will be presented prior to Game Two of the Galaxy's Western Conference Semifinal series against the Colorado Rapids this Saturday, October 30 at The Home Depot Center.
"This year's recipients of the on-field awards have set themselves apart because of their enormous contributions to our success during the regular season," said Galaxy President and General Manager Doug Hamilton. "Additionally, our entire club's dedication to all of our community endeavors over the course of the past year, which has earned them all a share of the humanitarian award, makes us all very proud to be a part of the Galaxy organization."
Hartman was voted the Galaxy's Honda Most Valuable Player, Marshall was selected as Galaxy's ADT Defender of the Year. Ruiz, who led the team in scoring with eleven goals and two assists for 24 points, was the club's Budweiser scoring champion for the third consecutive season. The entire team was given the U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year award for their efforts in the several communities that comprise the Southland.
A closer look at the Galaxy's team award winners follows:
HONDA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Kevin Hartman, in his eighth season in Major League Soccer and a co-captain for the Galaxy, was chosen as the team's Honda Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season by the Los Angeles media. One of the finest shot-stoppers in the history of MLS, and a member of the U.S. national team player pool, Hartman, 30, had another superb season for the Galaxy in 2004. The veteran netminder started all 30 of the Galaxy's regular season games, playing a total of 2655 minutes between the pipes (coming out only once, in the second half on 6/19 @ MET due to injury) and finished second in that category to the Rapids' Joe Cannon. A stabilizing presence in the back all season long, this native of Palos Verdes, California recorded seven shutouts on the campaign and has blanked regular season opponents 47 times in his illustrious career. Additionally, Hartman recorded 117 saves (third-best in his career) and posted a 1.34 Goals Against Average (GAA) in 2004. The highlight of his season was a 2-1 victory against the San Jose Earthquakes that marked the 92nd win of his career in the regular season - establishing a League record. Hartman, who has been the club's most consistent performer this season, boasts career statistics equally as impressive as his numbers this season; 184 games played - 179 starts, 16,425 minutes played, 93 wins and a League-record 1.16 GAA and three All-Star Game selections.
ADT DEFENDER OF THE YEAR: In his seventh season as a professional in Major League Soccer and his third in a Galaxy uniform, Tyrone Marshall was voted the club's ADT Defender of the Year by the press corps that covers the Galaxy. During the 2004 regular season, the 30-year-old Marshall appeared in 18 regular season matches, starting 17 of them and logged 1449 minutes played as he split his time between the club and the Jamaica national team, playing in a total of six FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and several friendlies with the Reggae Boyz. Hampered early in the season by a knee injury, the veteran defender responded down the stretch by holding together a unit that surrendered a total of 40 goals, an average of just 1.33 per contest. Additionally, his two goals in 2004 came in crucial matches down the stretch of the season, both against the Kansas City Wizards - the first strike a dramatic header in second-half stoppage time that gave the Galaxy a 2-2 tie on the road July 24 and the second forging a 1-1 deadlock on their home turf October 2. Over his seven-year career, the Lauderhill, Florida native has played in 150 regular season matches, 124 of them starts, a total of 11,352 minutes, while scoring 11 goals and contributing 15 assists for 37 points.
BUDWEISER SCORING CHAMPION: Carlos Ruiz continues to rank as one of the top strikers in MLS after finishing the 2004 Regular Season tied for third place in the League with eleven goals. "El Pescadito" also added two assists to give him a grand total of 24 points on the campaign to lead the Galaxy and capture their team Budweiser Scoring Championship. Ruiz's numbers are even more impressive when considering that he appeared in only 20 matches for the Galaxy. The Guatemalan International's average of 1.20 points per game placed him second in MLS to only the MetroStars Amado Guevara (1.25) - who tied for the MLS Budweiser Scoring championship. Hampered by injuries and national team call-ups at various points during the 2004 campaign, Ruiz was in the Galaxy's starting lineup just 18 times and played a total of 1587 minutes for the Green and Gold, but still placed among the League leaders in several offensive categories. Additionally, his 11th and final goal of the campaign on August 21 against the Chicago Fire was the 50th of his MLS career in his 69th regular season match - only Raul Diaz Arce has reached that milestone faster. The 5-9, 170-pound forward was voted the Honda MLS Player of the Month for April (5-2=12 pts.) and named Player of the Week after scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Crew on April 24.
U.S. SOCCER FOUNDATION HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR: The Los Angeles Galaxy are proud to have the entire team receive their 2004 U.S. Soccer Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Galaxy is fortunate to have had 100% percent participation from the team for the 2004 MLS season in all their outreach, grassroots, and soccer programs as well as their charitable endeavors done in conjunction with the Galaxy Foundation. During the year, Galaxy players have spent numerous hours giving back to the children and community that have supported them. They have visited children in LA area hospitals such as Children's Hospital Los Angeles, read to children at local schools in support of its MLS/NEA Get a Kick Out of Reading program and through more than twenty team clinics have assisted in growing the sport of soccer by demonstrating not only skills but character and sportsmanship to thousands of kids. This season, Galaxy players have made more than 400 appearances and given their time, energy as well as their names to assist children in need and organizations such as The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and its Pennies for Patients and Light the Night programs, the Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children's Cancer and its annual Galaxy Dinner, LA Scores, the Boys and Girls Clubs and their own Galaxy Foundation. On and off the pitch, from star player to rookie, the Galaxy is one in their commitment to the team and the community.
The following are the Galaxy's past team award winners:
Honda MVP
2004: Kevin Hartman
2003: Kevin Hartman
2002: Carlos Ruiz
2001: Ezra Hendrickson
2000: Simon Elliott
1999: Kevin Hartman
1998: Cobi Jones
1997: Mauricio Cienfuegos
1996: Eduardo Hurtado
ADT Defensive Player of the Year
2004: Tyrone Marshall
2003: Danny Califf
2002: Alexi Lalas
2001: Greg Vanney
2000: Danny Califf
1999: Robin Fraser
1998: Robin Fraser
1997: Robin Fraser
1996: Jorge Campos
Budweiser Scoring Champion
2004: Carlos Ruiz
2003: Carlos Ruiz
2002: Carlos Ruiz
2001: Cobi Jones
2000: Cobi Jones
1999: Cobi Jones
1998: Cobi Jones
1997: Welton
1996: Eduardo Hurtado
U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
2004: Galaxy team
2003: Cobi Jones
2002: Mauricio Cienfuegos
2001: Mauricio Cienfuegos
2000: Marvin Quijano
1999: --
1998: --
1997: --
1996: --
The Los Angeles Galaxy return to The Home Depot Center for the second leg of their MLS Western Conference Semifinal series against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, October 30 at 7:00 pm. As one of the opportunities to buy tickets to the match, the Galaxy is offering a "Go For Gold" Playoff Pak, which includes four tickets to that evening's game and four "Go For Gold" t-shirts starting at just $60. Fans interested in getting more information or purchasing the "Go For Gold" Playoff Pak, should contact the Galaxy ticket office directly by calling toll-free at 1-877-3GALAXY.
